Man shot dead in Chula Vista apartment

CHULA VISTA (CNS) – The 27-year-old brother of former professional basketball player Dominic McGuire was shot and killed early Thursday in a Chula Vista apartment where a 5-year-old girl was sleeping, but she was not harmed, police said.

Police officers dispatched around 12:20 a.m. to investigate reports of gunfire at 520 E. H St. in the gated Beacon Cove Apartments found two people who told them a friend had been shot a short time earlier, said Chula Vista police Lt. Fritz Reber. The victim was found dead inside apartment 41, he said.

Witnesses told investigators that at least one suspect entered the apartment and fatally shot the victim, but it remained unclear if he was the intended target, according to the lieutenant. No suspect description was immediately available.

The victim’s mother identified him as Jamel “Mel Mel” McGuire, younger brother of 28-year-old former NBA player Dominic McGuire, who signed with several teams during his NBA career, starting with the Washington Wizards in 2007.

The child found in the apartment was the victim’s girlfriend’s daughter, according to broadcast reports. She was found sleeping in a bedroom inside the unit and was unharmed, Reber said. She was taken to the Polinski Children’s Center and was being held until her parents could be notified.